Why “Four Score and Seven Years Ago”?

The complicated politics and philosophies behind the first six words of the Gettysburg Address.

Tuesday marks the 150th anniversary of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. In this excerpt from The Gettysburg Address: A Graphic Adaptation, by Jonathan Hennessey and Aaron McConnell, out now from William Morrow, the cartoonists explore the speech’s first six words.

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Top Comment

I think there's too much reading into "Four Score and Seven Years Ago". Even at the time, 1776 was considered a very "romantic" time in the country's history. More...

Correction, Nov. 19, 2013: A panel in this excerpt misstated that the Hartford Convention of 1814-15 occurred during Thomas Jefferson’s presidency. It occurred during James Madison’s presidency. The original panel remains.